The present invention relates to a hose for use in a motor vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-layer hose which can be employed as a fuel line or vapor recovery line in a motor vehicle.
Single layer fuel lines and vapor return lines of synthetic materials such as polyamides have been proposed and employed in the past. Fuel lines employing such materials generally have lengths of at least several meters. It is important that the line, once installed, not materially change during the length of operation, either by shrinkage or elongation or as a result of the stresses to which the line may be subject during use.
It is also becoming increasingly important that the lines employed be essentially impervious to hydrocarbon emissions due to permeation through the tubing. It is anticipated that future Federal and state regulations will fix the limit for permissible hydrocarbon emissions due to permeation through such lines. Regulations which will be enacted in states such as California will fix the total passive hydrocarbon emission for a vehicle at 2 g/m2 per 24 hour period as calculated by evaporative emission testing methods such as those outlined in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations, section 1976, proposed amendment of Sep. 26, 1991. To achieve the desired total vehicle emission levels, a hydrocarbon permeation level for the lines equal to or below 0.5 g/m2 per 24 hour period would be required.
Finally, it is also imperative that the fuel line employed be impervious to interaction with corrosive materials present in the fuel such as oxidative agents and surfactants as well as additives such as ethanol and methanol.
Various types of tubing have been proposed to address these concerns. In general, the most successful of these have been co-extruded multi-layer tubing which employ a relatively thick outer layer composed of a material resistant to the exterior environment. The innermost layer is thinner and is composed of a material which is chosen for its ability to block diffusion of materials such as aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohols and other materials present in fuel blends, to the outer layer. The materials of choice for the inner layer are polyamides such as Nylon 6, Nylon 6.6, Nylon 11, and Nylon 12.
Alcohol and aromatics in the fluid conveyed through the tubing diffuse through the tubing wall at rates which differ significantly from the aliphatic components of the fluid being conveyed. The resulting change in the composition of the liquid in the tubing can change the solubility thresholds of the material so as, for example, to be able to crystalize monomers and oligomers of materials such as Nylon 11 and Nylon 12 into the liquid. The presence of copper ions, which can be picked up from the fuel pump, accelerates this crystallization. The crystallized precipitate can block filters and fuel injectors and collect to limit travel of the fuel-pump or carburetor float as well as building up on critical control surfaces of the fuel pump.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,329 to Brunnhofer, a five-layer fuel line is proposed which is composed of a thick outer layer formed of Nylon 11 or Nylon 12, a thick intermediate layer of Nylon 6, and a thin intermediate bonding layer between and bonded to the intermediate and outer layers formed of a polyethylene or a polypropylene. On the interior of the tube is an inner layer of Nylon 6 with a thin intermediate solvent-blocking layer formed of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer transposed between. The use of Nylon 6 in the inner fluid contacting surface is designed to eliminate at least a portion of the monomer and oligomer dissolution which occurs with Nylon 11 or Nylon 12.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,833 to Brunnhofer, a three-layer fuel line is proposed in which a tube is formed having a co-extruded outer wall of Nylon 11 or Nylon 12, an intermediate alcohol barrier wall formed from an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, and an inner water-blocking wall formed from a polyamide such as Nylon 11 or Nylon 12. In DE 40 06 870, a fuel line is proposed in which an intermediate solvent barrier layer is formed of unmodified Nylon 6.6 either separately or in combination with blends of polyamide elastomers. The internal layer is also composed of polyamides; preferably modified or unmodified Nylon 6 while the outer layer is composed of either Nylon 6 or Nylon 12.
Another tubing designed to be resistant to alcoholic media is disclosed in UK Application Number 2 204 376 A in which a tube is produced which has an thick outer layer composed of polyamides such as Nylon 6 or 6.6 and/or Nylon 11 or 12 which are co-extruded with an alcohol-resistant polyolefin, a co-polymer of propylene and maleic acid.
Heretofore it has been extremely difficult to obtain satisfactory lamination characteristics between dissimilar polymer layers. Thus all of the multi-layer tubing proposed previously has employed polyamide-based materials in most or all of the multiple layers. While many more effective solvent-resistant chemicals exist, their use in this area is limited due to limited elongation properties, strength and compatibility with Nylon 11 and 12. Additionally, the previous disclosures fail to address or appreciate the phenomenon of electrostatic discharge.
Electrostatic discharge can be defined as the release of electric charge built up or derived from the passage of charged particles through a medium or conduit composed of essentially non-conductive materials. The electrostatic charge is repeatedly replenished with the passage of additional volumes of fuel through a given non-conductive conduit. Discharge repeatedly occurs in the same localized area gradually eroding the area and leading to eventual rupture. This, in turn, leads to the danger of fire and explosion of flammable contents of the tubing.
Thus it would be desirable to provide a tubing material which could be employed in motor vehicles which would be durable and prevent or reduce permeation of organic materials therethrough. It would also be desirable to provide a tubing material which would be essentially nonreactive with components of the liquid being conveyed therein. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a tubing material which can easily be rendered capable of preventing the build-up of electrostatic discharge either in an operation simultaneous with the tube formation or in a post-processing step or would be capable of safely dissipating any electrostatic charge induced therein.
The present invention is a multi-layer tube which can be used on motor vehicles for applications such as in a fuel line or a vapor return or recovery line. The tube of the present invention is composed of:
an outer layer having an inner and an outer face, the outer layer consisting essentially of an extrudable melt processible thermoplastic having an elongation value of at least 150% and an ability to withstand impacts of at least 2 ft/lbs at temperatures below about xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C.;
an intermediate layer bonded to the inner face of the thick outer tubing, the bonding layer consisting essentially of an extrudable melt processible thermoplastic resistant to permeation by short-chain hydrocarbons, the bonding layer consisting of a thermoplastic which is chemically dissimilar to the extrudable thermoplastic employed in the outer tubing and is capable of sufficiently permanent laminar adhesion to the inner face of the thick outer tubing; and
an inter or layer composed of an extrudable melt processible thermoplastic which is capable of sufficiently permanent laminar adhesion to the intermediate layer, the thermoplastic material in the interior layer having an elongation value of at east 150% and an ability to withstand impacts of at least 2 ft/lbs below about xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C., the inner layer having a thickness less than the thickness of the outer tubing.
The tubing of the present invention may also include an optional outer jacket composed of a suitable melt-processible thermoplastic which is either co-extruded or applied in separate processing operation. The thermoplastic material employed in the optional outer jacket may be any suitable material which adds insulative or cushioning properties to the tubing jacket. The outer tubing jacket may also, optionally, be capable of dissipating electrostatic energy, the electrostatic dissipation capacity being in a range between about 104 to 109 ohm/cm2.